New Delhi: The quintessential woman in Hindi films either uses her sexual appeal to step up the corporate ladder or finds contentment in playing the conventional roles - a docile daughter, a devoted wife and a caring mother. But director Sudhir Mishra makes a conscious attempt to give female characters in his films a completely different interpretation.
Sudhir tells IBNLive why women in his films never give in to the pressure and restrictions which the society forces upon them, the appalling condition of teachers in India and a lot more. Read on...
New filmmakers should make films on DU: Sudhir, who studied Psychology (M.Phil) at DU, says his experience in the university prepared him for both his career and for the life outside the professional domain. "I owe a lot to DU. From its politically-charged atmosphere to the idealism of that time and the discussions we had with our teachers, every bit made our experience at DU enriching. The new crop of filmmakers (Imtiaz Ali and many others) who have studied at Delhi University should consider the idea of making films on DU. Since I have already made 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', a film with Delhi University as the backdrop, I would want to do it again. But this time around, it would be about how youngsters interpret their lives, the problems they face and how they would tackle these problems," he replies.
Why can't our government build more colleges? As the cut-off percentages go higher than the last year, the number of deserving students with not-so-high marks failing at making it to DU colleges has also seen an upsurge. "I'm sure there are a lot of students who haven't managed to get admission in any of the colleges in Delhi University because there are no seats left. But my question is why can't more colleges be built for our students? Education shouldn't be treated as big business. Instead, immediate steps should be taken to maintain its quality and standard. I'd also like to tell the students that the thought - which is the right college for them - is nothing, but a trap in to which they shouldn't fall," he explains.
What monetary benefits did my father get? Whether it is a public event or a chat show, how teachers continue to be grossly underpaid in India remains the much discussed and the most debated issue. "My father was a mathematician. He retired as vice chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). But what did he get in terms of monetary benefits? It is sad to see how a lot of ordinary people in the film industry are earning more money than he ever made. Do you know South Korea is the only country where teachers are paid the highest? It is disheartening to see how unknown people in reality shows are making huge bucks than a professor would in his life. It is shameful, but true that teachers get no importance in Indian education system."
More glamour at IP, LSR than in Bollywood: Finding girls with flawless looks has always been a task for our filmmakers. As Sudhir Mishra recalls, back in his college days, there was more glamour in DU than it was in Bollywood. For the students of LSR and IP university would invariably look red carpet-ready. "Since we took theatre seriously, we would perform at virtually every college in DU. But staging plays at IP College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) was always special. These were the colleges where we'd find exciting viewers. People often ask me why my films feature strong and powerful women. They are influenced by these students. Women here were open-minded, powerful, independent, sharp, bright and willing to discover life. They won't take anyone's shit and treated men badly. And I have to admit that women at IP and LSR were also very pretty looking. At that time I thought, there was more glamour at IP, LSR than in Bollywood."
DU colleges in Bollywood? An escape from home into the sensual world: DU colleges have often been referred to as the much-preferred backdrop in Hindi films. But why can't these colleges be shown in a serious way, as a place to uphold values rather than being used as a backdrop of run-of-the-mill films? "In Bollywood, DU colleges are represented as places where education is expected to be boring. Education as a learning experience is not about excitement. And this is exactly the attitude which is reflected in our films. Since it is boring to be intelligent in films, educated people are often seen as troublemakers. In our films, college is just seen as an escape from home into the sensual world. It is an escape from repression of home. It has nothing to do with education," he rues.
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